A bill that would remove the requirement that Coloradans have a permit to carry concealed weapons – if they are otherwise qualified to do so – won initial approval in the state House today.

Under House Bill 1205, concealed carry permits would still exist, but anyone who meets the criteria to carry concealed – which would not include those barred for reasons such as felonies, mental health and substance abuse problems or domestic violence convictions – could carry a firearm concealed. However, critics, which include police chiefs and advocates for victims of domestic violence, say that under the bill, there would be no way to screen out those with felonies or other disqualifying factors because people carrying concealed would be expected to police themselves.

Rep. Chris Holbert[1], R-Parker, the sponsor of the bill, pointed to Vermont, which does not require a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He said it is “insulting” to require him to have a concealed carry permit when current Colorado law already allows him to carry concealed on his own property and in his car.

But a number of Democrats said repealing the requirement for a concealed carry permit would send the message to the public that anyone can carry concealed weapons at any time. Domestic violence offenders, substance abusers and people with mental health problems would feel more free to carry weapons, they argued.

The Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police notes that in 2010, 1,284 people who applied for concealed carry permits were denied for reasons such as domestic violence offenses, mental health commitments, substance addictions or felonies. These people would now be on an honor system and expected to weed themselves out, critics say.

“We will not be promoting public safety if our police chiefs, who are very strongly opposed to this bill, do not have any way of knowing who is armed and who is not” during traffic stops, argued Rep. Claire Levy[3], D-Boulder. “I do not want to have to worry when my children go down to the park to play that there are people there who have concealed weapons.”

Rep. Deb Gardner[4], D-Boulder, said it was inevitable that a police officer in Colorado would be killed as a result of the bill.

But Republicans retorted that police now have no way of knowing who is armed during a traffic stop, since the law allows the carrying of concealed weapons in a car by those who are qualified. And they argued that people who can’t get concealed weapons now because of a disqualification already don’t follow the law.

Levy asked why Holbert wasn’t proposing to do away with concealed carry permits altogether. He said some people still might want them because Colorado has reciprocity agreements with other states, and having a concealed carry permit would allow someone traveling to carry concealed in another state without fear of breaking the law.

The House gave initial approval to the bill on a voice vote and must approve it once more on a recorded vote before it can go to the Senate.